Umbrella Academy star reveals “heart-stopping” update with date of death post

The Umbrella Academy star Robert Sheehan gave fans a fright with a “heart-stopping” Instagram post in which he announced the date of his death – and it’s only a couple of months away.

The actor plays Klaus, aka: Number 4, one of seven of Hargreeves’ adoptive children. While sober, he’s able to communicate with the spirits of the dead, although he uses drugs and alcohol to escape.

Ahead of the release of the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, Sheehan shared a post that’s just as morbid as his character’s powers. 

It’s a picture of a gravestone, with the words, “Playing Dead. Robert Sheehan. 7 January 1988 – 5 September 2024.”

Instagram/@rozzymikes

Now, while you might assume this refers to the death of Klaus and the series, Season 4 drops on August 8, nearly a month before the alleged death date referred to in the post. 

However, several hours later, Sheehan revealed the truth by sharing his friend and filmmaker Ari Gold’s post. Alongside the same gravestone image, Gold revealed that ‘Playing Dead’ is the title of Sheehan’s upcoming memoir – which drops on September 5. 

“My lovely friend Robert Sheehan aka @rozzymikes is releasing this big beautiful book for pre-order tomorrow,” he wrote.  

“I was with him in Sicily witnessing his early drafting, his on-to-it-ness, and now that the fruit arriveth, you must all run out to your local bookstore and pre-order a handful of copies to maybe better understand life Itself. (Without death, there is no life.)”

But before this reveal, the fans shared their concerns in the comments after having initially thought Sheehan had died, or was about to. 

“F**k, that scared me so bad,” said one, while another wrote, “My heart stopped beating for a few seconds.”

A third added, “I almost had a heart attack Rob,” while a fourth chimed in, “Uhm mister… you worried me there for a hot minute.” And a fifth wrote, “I almost started to cry.”

For better or worse, the stunt appears to have worked, with many now excited for his book’s release. 

“Absolutely cannot wait! Meditative and yoga practices have completely changed my world and I love seeing how much of an impact they make in people’s lives,” said one.

A second commented, “I didn’t realize it was a book when he shared this! Thanks for clarifying Ari. Looking forward to reading it.”

Other than ‘Playing Dead’, you can expect more from Sheehan as he reprises his role as Klaus for The Umbrella Academy Season 4. 

While you wait, check out all the new TV shows heading to streaming this month, as well as the best binge-worthy series and top superhero shows.